In the avionics field, for example, aeroplanes that transport passengers have relatively small cockpits in which the successful integration of the elements necessary for piloting, for navigation, for monitoring and for communications is essential for the security of the flight and for optimizing the workload of the crew.
Currently, the technology makes it possible to produce large display screens, typically with a diagonal equal to or greater than 15 inches with an excellent resolution. In order to allow the display of new avionics functions, the size of the display screens is significantly increased over that which existed previously. Since cockpits have a generally restricted size, the constraints of installation lead to the consideration of display systems comprising no more than 3 large screens. The total number of screens is therefore lower compared with what was done before. This reduced number of screens poses problems of availability of the information necessary for piloting, for navigation, in case of a simple failure that can simultaneously cause the loss of several functions displayed on one and the same screen.
To achieve the objectives of availability and of security of operation required in the air-transport field, one solution consists in proposing displays having a duplicated internal architecture. The technical problem posed is then to find an architecture solution that makes it possible to satisfy at the same time the objectives of availability, of security of operation and of operational performance: guarantee that there is no single failure that leads to the loss of the whole screen, capacity for display in full-screen mode, and optimal use of the computing and graphic generation resources available.
The existing solutions multiply the number of small-sized screens in a cockpit leading to additional costs, wiring and weight. The number of screens can vary from 4 to 8 and even more. Another solution set out in patent application FR 1101386 of the Applicant consists in using a 3-screen display system while ensuring availability of the avionics system.